I went to a gym when I was out of town this week...and as usual there was not a single woman in the weight area. Sure there were a few older ladies on the ellipticals but they were not in there for long. To be honest - the only women who walked in to that facility were the ones who were headed for the tanning beds. Kind of pathetic.
Back at my home gym tonight, I took inventory of the people in the gym as I rolled myself out and waited for the squat rack to free up...same inventory of women that are normally there. And trust me when I say - only one of them was actually doing anything productive. A few other familiar faces come in, wander around, do a few bicep curls, crunch out a few ab moves on the floor, and wander off again.
It is quite sad actually.
I have to admit - it took me a while to feel as confident as I do now to OWN my place with the "big boy area". I consider myself a regular at the gym now and I know I am familiar to many of the guys there. I am not as big of a sissy any more and I don't care at all that I share the space with the men. And in watching the men of my gym I have come to the conclusion that they really are not that intimidating at all...nor do they frown upon having women in the area. Of the men that frequent the times that I go to the gym I have been treated with nothing but respect and courtesy. They are there to do their thing...sometimes they talk way too much for my liking and sometimes they grunt a little too unnecessarily but boys will be boys. In fact, most of them I have come to have a huge amount of respect for - in what they are lifting and how polite they are.
Ladies! Get in the gym! I don't mean the cardio classes, I don't mean on the treadmill or elliptical, I don't mean on the mats to do abs....I mean get in the gym and start lifting some weights!!! Use the machines! Pick up the dumbbells! Get on your knees and do some REAL pushups! Just get lifting!
Are you worried about getting bulky? (which I think is the most bogus, uneducated, pathetic excuse out there that women use!) I workout 4 times per week for about 90-120 minutes. I lift as hard as I can and push myself every set. At this point I do not do a minute of cardio during the week. And I'm pretty damn lean and would never ever consider myself to be bulky. In fact, of any of the women in my gym who are there to seriously workout and lift some weights - not one of them is "bulky"! Sorry - it just doesn't really work that way.
Tuffen up! I could just scream when I see some girl (who appears to be thin but with absolutely no muscle definition at all) pick up 5lb dumbbells and do a few bicep curls! WOW - that must really be hard for you! A bag of groceries weighs more than that or the basket of clothes you carry to the laundry every week. Get real women! Pick up a dumbbell that challenges you!!! Push yourself to break a sweat! COME ON! You can do better!!!!
Get real. Sure cardio will make you feel like you are working towards the weight loss I am sure you are trying to achieve...but when in life will you ever need to run 5-10km at a time out of necessity (besides the races you may be working towards)? Yet every single day you are faced with the need to carry weight and support yourself. Lifting groceries, doing laundry, carrying your kids, holding yourself upright 18 hours a day, mowing the lawn, etc etc etc. Lifting weights and doing plyometrics conditions your body for every day life. I used to be that girl who did 4 days of cardio every week (if not more)...and yes I got skinny....as a rail. There was nothing to me. And I thought I was strong...until I started working out at the gym....and it was all to clear that I was a weak, skinny-fat woman. Starting to lift weights and condition my muscles was the absolute best decision I have ever made and the results are far superior to the endless cardio I was doing.
Not sure where to start? Pick up a fitness magazine...every single one of them has a sample plan or monthly plan that can get you started. Browse the web for free plans...the sources are endless. Youtube is great for figuring out how to do something before you get there. Find a Facebook group (message me for the ones I would recommend) - there are several and the members of the groups are amazing sources of inspiration, motivation, and education. Ask a friend who already goes or be so bold and book yourself a trainer to help you get started. But seriously - just get started.
Ill never discourage you from taking group classes or doing some cardio. Any activity is better than no activity. But consider your goals and drop the misconceptions about weight lifting vs cardio. Find a balance between the two at the very least. Minimize your cardio down and start doing High Intensity Intervals instead of long sustained cardio. Run if you want (Ill admit I even miss the leisurely run!) but add in weights! Runners need muscles for speed! Find ways to do some metabolic conditioning and add active rests in to your weight sets to keep the heart rate up. Join a Crossfit gym or take a bootcamp class or join a gym with a "women only" area. The possibilities are endless but your life and all that you do in your life needs you to lift weights - so start exploring those possibilities!!!!
You could go with a friend. My advice - go with a guy friend. Women who go to the gym together talk way too much. Are you there to workout or socialize? If you go with a guy friend - he will work out along side you and keep you on track. And for as much as I may direct this post to women...I know for sure that there are just as many men that have the same challenges as we women do. If you go with a woman - have the plan ready ahead of time! And no! it is not silly to bring in a scribbler and pen to write it all down and keep on track! And for goodness sake - if you come in and wander around and half-ass it with your friend...then you picked the wrong friend. Did you come to workout and get healthy or did you come to wander around and show off your new Lulus?
Please just get over your fears and inhibitions about being in the gym! The men just don't care!!!! Expect that they will check you out (as if you are not checking them out!) - they are curious as to who you are and what you are made of! But they have attention spans that last the duration of a look...and then they are back to work or talking with their buddies. And you have every right to be there as any one else does!!!
It will be hard at first. You will feel uncomfortable and discouraged at times. You may look like you have no clue what you are doing (so do half the other people there who are doing freaky weird things and have terrible form). But I am going to fill you in on a little insider secret....Those of us already in the gym respect you and will gladly share the space with you. We may check you out and watch you at times, and you can expect that we are sizing you up a bit - but don't tell me you are not doing the same about anyone else in there! Don't know what to do or how to work a certain machine? Just ask and someone will gladly show you. And in the end - we all don't really care who you are or why you are there. We are all there to workout in whatever capacity we have planned for the day....which means you will fit right in.
So put your earphones in, lace up your shoes, grab your notebook and water bottle and get in the gym already! You won't regret it! Hope to see you there!
No comments:
Post a Comment